Thursday, November 24, 2011

How do you care for a shooting star hydrangea?

I just bought my first plant for my first apartment. It is a shooting star hydrangea and is beautiful. I am knew to gardening and I want to know if anyone knows how to care for it. Any tips that are more than the traditional ones found on the sticker on the plant and those on the internet would be greatly appreciated!|||Hydrangeas are acid loving plants. Use mear acid by Miracle Grow. You can also toss your "used" coffee grinds by the base of the plant. The majority of all soil is deficent in acid and most soils are on the alkaline side. I don't know what zone you live in so this advice is general. It isn't a good idea to place this plant in direct "hot" sunlight for a long period. Good morning sun from sun up until about 11:00 is ok. But hot afternoon sun will scorch the leaves.

Keep your soil moise but do not overwater. Overwatering will kill any plant. Water only when the soil is drying out.

Hope this helps.|||http://www.smithandhawken.com/catalog/pr鈥?/a>

what you have is a variety of Hydrangea macrophylla, the lacecaps...read here for good info on them....

http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/

the link to Lacecaps.....

http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/lace鈥?/a>

this will be a little tough to keep in the apt constantly.... can be done, but will take great care on your part and really great light.... it would be much happier outside in spring and summer and fall, for sure!!.... got a patio or balcony in the shade?....

also, if this plant is in bloom NOW and it's winter where you are, the plant has been forced to bloom in the greenhouse and it will be a good long time before it will bloom again, as you don't have the chemicals necessary to force bloom... it will have to recover and get back on it's own cycle to bloom again.... and that might mean going outside...

just keep it healthy, and green and have lots of patience with it....

for a first plant, you chose a tough one.... please don't get discouraged if it proves too hard to handle... get a pothos vine next time... green, no flowers, loves you even if you forget to water it now and then.....|||whats that